


Shining in the Shadows

by EtoilesJaunes



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Cuddles, F/M, Fluff, Greek Mythology AU, Hades & Persephone au, Hugs, Idea of a Kwami Swap, Insecurity, Snowball Fight, light kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 14:04:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16975968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EtoilesJaunes/pseuds/EtoilesJaunes
Summary: Winter is Marinette's favorite time of year. Why wouldn't it be? It's when Adrien is allowed to come and stay with her. This year, during the Solstice, they choose to visit Paris to see what the mortals have been up to since the last time they left.





	Shining in the Shadows

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DisorganizedKitten](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisorganizedKitten/gifts).



> Hey, there, DK! I was your Secret Santa :D I saw mythology and was immediately on board haha. Hope you like it~!

_ She didn’t mean to. _

_ Really, she didn’t. _

_ Well… That wasn’t entirely true. Looking back, she regretted it. In the moment, it made sense. She’d grown so used to interacting only with the dead, the beings that treated her with the respect a goddess was due, happy to attend to her every whim. _

_ She’d never had anyone of her own, no one with whom to share the riches of her realm. And how could that change? No one would willingly approach her. _

_ So when she’d seen him walking through the forest outside the entrance to her realm, it only made sense that she would kidnap him, trap him, make him stay with her. _

_ Her earth opened up, and he was swallowed whole.  _

_ No, she didn’t know how to love, not at first. But he was patient with her, in spite of everything she’d done to him. _

_ In spite of the fact that, when the other deities demanded she let him return to the surface world, she’d made him eat the pomegranate seeds. In spite of her all but forcing him to return to her every year. _

_ His patience broke through the cold shell of her selfish heart, and for the first time in her memory, she loved.  _

_ She loved him. _

_ And for whatever reason, he loved her, too. _

* * *

Summer was always hardest for Marinette.

Summer was when her love was away from her, above the surface with his mother. She was commissioned to stay in the Underworld, keeping watch over her realm. Even when she had to travel to Olympus to meet with the other gods and goddesses, she wasn’t allowed to see him.

The cooling air and changing leaves always brought a measure of warmth to her heart — she felt awful about it, knowing that it was Emilie’s grief causing the change, but she also knew that Adrien was preparing to come to her. 

She was sitting on her throne, only halfway listening to the report a minor demon was giving her.  _ He _ was on his way — she could feel it in her bones. It wasn’t just knowing what day it was — honestly, it was  _ so _ easy to lose track of those things. No, it was something deeper than that. He completed her, and it had gotten to the point where she could  _ feel _ his presence in a way that was almost magnetic. 

When he was gone, part of her heart was on the surface world, with creation at its source. 

Part of the agreement, back at the beginning, was that when he wasn’t supposed to be with her, they weren’t allowed to interact. Sometimes, though, when the loneliness was too much for her to handle, when she felt like she was the only person in a room full of people, she would seek him out. 

She’d catch sight of him and just watch from a distance, the way he was helping flowers grow, making the leaves on trees a bit greener, bringing life back to the earth after the winter. Every time she found him, he would pause for a second, then a rose would materialize next to him and he would continue walking. She had a whole room of the ones she’d preserved.

Even without that, she was mildly aware of everything that happened in the Underworld. She felt the ebb and flow of the slow-moving energy, felt the earth as it breathed, felt every soul, living or dead, as they took their first tentative steps into her realm.

And around this time, she was intentionally searching for Adrien’s. So, when she his energy was added to the rest of it, she couldn’t help the smile that crossed her face. The demon next to her had realized she was no longer paying attention and fell silent.

He grew closer and closer, and Marinette’s heart was reaching out to his — and then, the door opened.

Was it her imagination, or did he actually bring some of the light from the surface with him? On the opposite end of the hall, he stood, a smile on his face as their eyes found each other. Before she knew it, she was running towards him, her robes flying out behind her. He met her halfway and caught her in his arms, lifting her into a spin. She shrieked with delight and grabbed his shoulders to steady herself.

When he slowed and held her closer to him, she wrapped her legs around his waist and leaned down to kiss him. It was a short, sweet kiss, the kind that made her heart melt all over again. She pulled back, brushing a lock of hair out of his eyes, and smiled.

“I missed you so much, Adrien.”

“I missed you, too, Marinette. It’s good to be home.”

Home.

No matter how many times he said it, she still wasn’t used to the fact that he considered this place to be his home. In her heart, she knew that he was born above the surface, and that was where he belonged.

She’d asked him about it, the first time he’d said it.

“Marinette, home isn’t just where you’re from, or where you live. It’s… It’s where you’re happiest to be, where you have people that love you, and… And where you have someone you love.”

Marinette had felt tears welling up as he spoke, looking into her eyes with sincerity shining in them. She had pulled him into the tightest hug she could manage and didn’t let go for a while.

Now, as he said it again, it just made her smile wider. The fact that he  _ chose _ her, even if it hadn’t been a choice to begin with (she would always regret giving him those seeds), made her happiest to receive him again, year after year.

The time he spent with her flew by, but also felt like it was going in slow motion. They spent every moment they could together. He followed her around as she went about her duties, touring the realms of the dead, and watching Plagg’s heads fight with each other over their affection. As the weeks passed, the light started to shine a little bit brighter, the flowers bloomed with more color, and everyone seemed to just be… Happier.

Far too soon, the time of the Winter Solstice was approaching. Marinette and Adrien made a habit of taking a break to visit the surface world during these days. 

“Where do you want to go this time?” Adrien asked. He was laying on a chaise lounge, his head on Marinette’s lap as she stroked his golden hair.

“Let’s go to Paris,” she replied. “I feel like we haven’t gone in  _ ages, _ and I miss it.”

He caught her wrist in his hand and tilted his head up so he could kiss her palm. “Paris it is, then, my Lady.”

The night before the solstice began, they set off. Marinette could barely stay still as Charon slowly guided them to the opposite bank, to the world of the living. They held hands as they disembarked and ascended the tunnel. Daylight filtered down through a canopy of leaves when they emerged from the mouth, and Marinette turned to Adrien with a smile.

“Are you ready?”

“Always am.”

The pair walked over to a large tree and Marinette leaned into the shadow, taking Adrien with her. They materialized in an alcove of a grand cathedral that Marinette recognized as Notre-Dame.

“Oh,  _ wow.” _

It had definitely been a while since Marinette had come here, and she was awed by what the mortals had done in the time.

It was nothing compared to the grandeur of the Underworld, of course, but the fact that it was humans that had done it, building the world of their ancestors into a bigger and brighter place only helped her see the future of her own realm.

They were thriving, and she rarely got to see their progress in action. The dead brought their traditions, of course, but it took a while for them to gather enough souls doing the same thing for it to become a larger community.

After a moment, she turned away from the lights and back towards Adrien. He was watching her with a soft smile on his face.

“What?” A light blush colored her cheeks as she caught his eyes.

It just made his smile grow. “I love watching you when you come up here.”

She rolled her eyes. “Stop being so cute.”

Still, she stepped closer so she could nudge him with her shoulder. He retaliated, of course, which escalated into an all-out pushing war as they made their way to the sidewalk. It only stopped when Adrien almost pushed Marinette into a woman walking the opposite direction. She scoffed at the pair and tugged her fur jacket further around her as she indignantly pushed past them.

Adrien and Marinette stared at each other for a second before erupting into giggles.

“Oh, I hope she remembers this moment when she sees you again,” Adrien laughed. 

“Can you  _ imagine?” _ Marinette grabbed his hand again, starting them off down the sidewalk again. 

The lights strung across the streets brought a soft light to the night sky, and Marinette couldn’t help but glance up at Adrien every so often.

He just… looked more  _ natural _ here. In the Underworld, he brought some light with him, made her world a brighter place, but the Underworld’s lighting didn’t quite sit right on his skin. Here, though, he fit right in. No one would stop and look at him, wondering what seemed slightly  _ off. _

Watching him take in the sights of the city, as people rushed about with bags and food and other purchases, she felt her heart grow a bit sad. Not for the first time, she was reminded of how  _ good _ he was. 

He hadn’t needed to be so patient and understanding of her. He could have sulked and cried and hated her — it’s what she would have deserved — but he hadn’t.

“What?”

Marinette blinked, focusing her eyes and seeing that he was looking down at her.

“You’ve got that look on your face again,” he said softly.

Marinette lowered her eyes. “Well…”

Adrien led her over to a bench. With a wave of his hand, he cleared the snow from it and pulled her down onto it next to him.

“Talk to me, Mari.”

She looped her arms around his shoulders and leaned into him. “It’s just the same old stupid stuff. I know what you’re going to say. It’s fine.”

He hugged his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. “Well, maybe you’re thinking like that because I haven’t properly told you how much I love you recently.”

Marinette hid a smile against his shirt. “I know how much you love me. You don’t have to…”

He kissed the top of her head in reply. “Too bad. I want to. You should know by now that you can talk to me about anything.”

“You’re too good for me.” Her voice was soft, but she knew he could understand her.

“I can assure you, I’m not,” he said. “You were good even before you found me. You can’t grow a flower from nothing — you have to have a seed. And you, my love, are far more precious and good than a simple flower. All that good in you was always there.”

“It’s not just that, it’s… You belong up here, with creation and light and everything that you are. The Underworld is for the dead.”

Adrien caught one of her wrists in his hands and held it in front of him. With two fingers, he felt the area on her wrist just below her thumb.

“Hm… That’s really interesting.”

Marinette tilted her head to look at him. “What is?”

“I can feel your heartbeat,” he said, matter-of-factly. “Ergo, you are not dead. If I don’t belong in the Underworld, neither do you.”

“Adrien, you know that’s—”

“Ah, ah, ah, I’m not finished. You were best suited for your position because you understood that death completes life. That hasn’t changed. Sure, the living mourn the dead, but look at what you’ve done. There are cities full of people, able to continue loving, able to find each other in the afterlife.”

Marinette was silent as she pulled her hand from his grip. 

“What else is bothering you?”

She didn’t say anything as she brought her other arm down to hold his hand with both of hers. She traced the tip of her finger across his palm, focusing on that.

“Would you still be with me if I hadn’t given you those pomegranate seeds?”

Adrien sighed, and the sound immediately sent Marinette into panic mode. She froze up, not resisting at all when Adrien leaned away from her. He placed a hand on her cheek and tilted her head up to meet his eyes.

“Marinette, you make it sound like you tricked me into doing something I didn’t already want to do. Do you really think I didn’t know what I was getting myself into?”

Marinette could only stare wide-eyed at him, waiting for him to continue.

“I ate those seeds because I knew it was a way to make sure I would be able to see you again, year after year. My mother would have found some way to keep me on the surface world for the rest of eternity if it wasn’t for those.” Adrien stopped for a moment to grimace. Marinette and Emilie had limited interactions, but Adrien had enough stories to tell about her over-protectiveness to last through the winters.

“I knew exactly where I was, that day in the forest — when my mother forbade me from going anywhere near the entrance to the Underworld, all it did was let me know exactly where I needed to go to see you again. Marinette, I’ve been in love with you since the day I first saw you on Olympus. Who wouldn’t be immediately entranced by you?”

“You… All this time, you’ve loved me?” It wasn’t the first time she’d asked, but months without him was plenty of time for insecurity to find itself a permanent home in her.

Adrien smiled. “All this time.”

Marinette sighed and buried her face against his shoulder again. “I love you, too. So much.”

A gentle pressure on the top of her head let her know that he had placed a kiss there. She slowly relaxed into him, letting the warmth of his embrace caress and soothe her. The gentle motions of him subtly adjusting were comforting, reminding her that he was  _ here _ with her.

It wasn’t until he moved his shoulder in a nudging motion against her that she realized he was trying to get her attention. She looked up at him, confusion in her eyes.

“We’re only here for a little while,” he said softly. “Do you want to go see more of the sights, love?”

Marinette smiled and nodded. Adrien stood up, lacing their hands together and pulled her to her feet beside him. They began walking through the streets again, and this time, she let herself be distracted by all of the pretty lights and decorations everywhere. 

She caught a glimpse of several  _ kallikantzaroi _ jumping over the rooftops, looking for houses not warding them off, and she smiled at their antics. These were the few days they were able to be free, and some spoiled food for the mortals was a small price to pay to let the World Tree heal from their wounds.

Eventually, they came to a small park. There was a merry-go-round and a fountain. The remains of a snowman sat off to the side, the lights strung all around the trees giving a soft light that illuminated the scene. No one else was there; it was late in the evening, and everyone would have been in their warm homes or on the streets, focused only on getting from one place to another.

Suddenly, her vision went white and she felt a shock of  _ cold _ across her right cheek. Her hand came up to her face immediately as she whipped her head to the side, looking for the cause.

While she was lost in the beauty of the scene, Adrien had slipped away and made a snowball, and was now attempting to hide a wide grin behind his hand. A wicked smile grossed Marinette’s face.

“Oh, it is  _ on!” _

She could have summoned a snowball — ten, twenty, as many as she wanted — and sent it hurling in his direction, but there was just something so much more  _ satisfying _ about bending down and scooping up the snow with her own hands and pressing it into a ball. She threw it at Adrien, who caught it on his shoulder.

“Aw, Mari, I thought you knew how to aim!” he teased, sticking out his tongue.

The next snowball hit him square on the nose, and then it was  _ her _ turn to giggle at the surprised expression on his face as he blinked the snow out of his eyes. 

It was a pretty even fight after that, Marinette dodging as many snowballs as she was hit with, but she was playfully retreating from him with every side-step. He eventually took the bait and started towards her, causing her to squeal and turn around to run away. They wove through the trees, her always just a step in front of him, until fate intervened in the form of a root.

Adrien would, of course, deny having anything to do with that. 

Her foot caught on it and she fell forward, arms pinwheeling frantically at the loss of her balance. Adrien jumped forward to try and catch her, but her hand found the collar of his shirt just as she tipped forward enough to send them both tumbling to the ground. 

“Why am I so clumsy?” she grumbled into the dirt. “I’m a freaking  _ goddess.” _

She felt him chuckling as he rolled on his side to sit up. Though she tried to be mad for a second, she couldn’t help but start laughing, too. 

“I still love you, even if you’re secretly the goddess of clumsiness,” Adrien said when the giggles died down.

“Oh, shut up!” Marinette rolled her eyes as Adrien leaned over her.

“Why don’t you make me?”

Marinette smiled and grabbed a handful of snow.


End file.
